UCP electoral boundaries committee names former judge and UCP-donor as advisory panel chair by Dave Cournoyer, Jun 03, 2026, Daveberta – Alberta politics and elections
Retired judge Brian O’Ferrall, KC has been appointed as the chair of the independent advisory panel that will redo the work already done by the bipartisan Electoral Boundaries Commission last year.
The two NDP MLA’s on the committee, Calgary-Mountain View MLA Kathleen Ganley and Edmonton-Mill Woods MA Christina Gray, took issue with O’Ferrall’s financial support of the UCP since retiring as a judge:
“In a process that is already regarded by the public as illegitimate, this clear partisan leaning does nothing to restore legitimacy. Instead, it continues to show that this is about the UCP drawing a partisan map.”
According to Elections Alberta records, O’Ferrall donated $500 to the Calgary-Elbow UCP constituency association in 2022, $1,000.00 to the UCP in 2024 and $1,287.50 in 2025. Elections Canada records show that he donated $6,850 to the Conservative Party of Canada in 2023 and 2024.
Before becoming a judge, O’Ferrall was vice-president of the Calgary-Elbow PC association and Ralph Klein’s official agent during the Premier’s re-election campaign in the riding in 1993. He was also the lawyer for the Calgary-Montrose PC association during its high-profile legal dispute over a candidate nomination result in 2004.
@steve-p47.bsky.social:
Yep definitely looks like he’d be impartial.
@e46kzr67.bsky.social:
A life-long conservative who will want to ensure conservative rule long into the future….well, we now know the outcome of this committee. So much for “democracy.”
because of how rural Albertans always vote con, no matter what or who or when, or how badly abused by the con gov’ts in the past, there really hasn’t been democracy in Alberta. Not one of my votes, provincially or federally has ever counted. Not one, because of how stupidly rural voters vote, and they control the vote. They cry and scream for change, but always fucking vote for corruption and abuse (con). City residents vote differently, now that they are growing wise to con corruption and anti democratic treachery in our con gov’ts, UCP has to rig the vote to wipe out city non con votes. Not only are cons evil in my view, they’re cowards, stupid (they yell “common sense” but don’t have any) and sore losers.
@kathryncrooks.bsky.social:
I think the pollsters are wrong. The UCP are hideous IMO. I am a rural Albertan and I will never vote UCP.Excellent. The world needs about 500,000 more of you living and voting in rural Alberta.
@nigelswedenborg.bsky.social:
Pollsters tell us that the UCP is enjoying overwhelming popularity, but the UCP doesn’t seem to believe them.
Either that or the UCP just loves to cheat.
@beedub71.bsky.social:
I think it is more than fair to restrict judges from political involvement in any way. Full stop.Lawyers too, ought to be prohibited from any political involvement. They lie too well, and non stop, and abuse “justice” and fairness also non stop, especially when they serve the separatists and con, libertarian, wildrose, reform, reformacon, “freedom” politicos.
@sherens.bsky.social:
The UCP is picking up a lot of ideas from our ex-friends south of us. Somehow I don’t think most Canadians want to follow in those footstepsway too late. The shit and anti democracy abuse started with Herr Hideous Harper and his vile reformers (Preston Manning, Pee Pee, et al)
@caroyyc.bsky.social:
Hmmmm …… smells like her favourite kind of guy, a fool to be manipulated.
@TheBreakdownAB:
“NDP MLAs who make up a minority on the Select Special Committee on Electoral Boundaries say they are concerned about O’Ferrall’s political donation history.”